Mage Priest

There are powers in the multiverse beyond the ken ofmost mortals.Ofcourse,religion recognizes this fact,and the faithful pay homage to certain gods and beings ofgreat power.A few take that idea a step farther,into the realm of mysticism,where they call upon the powers ofgods to fuel their own magical abilities.These rare individuals make pacts and deals with various planar powers,swearing oaths that would make lesser folk shudder.

Mage priests are not friendly celebrants who counsel congregations on moral issues and instruct the young on the ways and myths ofthe gods.These are individuals who revere gods and powers because doing so gains them greater might.They invoke the names ofhigh-placed spirits and mystical entities while performing long-forgotten rites.Mage priests place great value in the truenames ofpowerful otherplanar beings,poring over ancient tomes for clues to the secrets ofsuch power.They go on quests—or get others to undertake them—to recover ancient relics and exotic ingredients needed for bizarre rituals.

Magisters,runethanes,and witches become mage priests. More rarely,greenbonds and mage blades learn the craft. Individuals ofalmost every race become mage priests,particularly humans,verrik,and mojh.

Mage priests often gather in groups to perform ceremonies together.Just as often,however,a mage priest becomes a hermit,living only for magic and conversing only with eldritch spirits.As students oflost lore,they collect books in vast libraries and covet ancient artifacts.They seek places ofpower and sites where one can more easily contact gods and spirits.

Some mage priests entreat demons and other terrible spirits,gods,and creatures.However,others restrict their dealings to angels and gods oflight and life.Most simply do not care—they make pacts with either or both.

Mage priests are more common in Fallanor and the Far South than in the Lands ofthe Diamond Throne.However,a few certainly can be found in every major city and even in remote areas, manning isolated shrines and hidden temples where they commune with higher planes in incense-choked sanctums.

Hit Die: d6

Requirements

To qualify to become a mage priest,a character must fulfill all the following criteria. Knowledge (Ceremony): 2 ranks Knowledge (Cosmology): 8 ranks

Knowledge (Magic): 5 ranks

Knowledge (Religion): 2 ranks Feats: Priest Special: Must be able to cast spells

Class Skills

The mage priest’s class skills (and the key ability for each) are: Bluff(Cha),Concentration (Con),Craft (Int),Decipher Script (Int),Diplomacy (Cha),Intimidate (Cha),Knowledge (all skills,taken individually) (Int),Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int),and Use Magic Device (Cha).For more information on these skills,see Monte Cook’s Arcana Unearthed, Chapter Four.

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Mage priests are proficient in the use ofno weapons or armor.

Spells: When a mage priest gains his first level,and at every level after that,he gains new spells per day as ifhe had also gained a level in the spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class.He does not,however,receive any other benefit a character ofthat class would have gained (bonus feats,class abilities,and so on).This essentially means that the character adds the new mage priest level to the level of his previous spellcasting class,then determines spell slots and spells readied accordingly.

Ifa character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a mage priest,he must decide which class receives the mage priest level.

Ifa spellcasting character takes a level in a spellcasting prestige class,the levels stack for the purpose ofdetermining caster level.Thus,a 10th-level magister who takes a level of mage priest has a caster level of11th.

THE MAGE PRIEST Base AttackFortitude Reflex Will Level Bonus Save Save Save Special Spells Per Day

1 +0 +0 +0 +2 Minor pact +1 level ofexisting class 2 +1 +0 +0 +3 Name ofpower +1 level ofexisting class 3 +1 +1 +1 +3 Eldritch spirits +1 level ofexisting class 4 +2 +1 +1 +4 Lesser pact +1 level ofexisting class 5 +2 +1 +1 +4 Name ofpower +1 level ofexisting class 6 +3 +2 +2 +5 Ceremony +1 level ofexisting class 7 +3 +2 +2 +5 Greater pact +1 level ofexisting class 8 +4 +2 +2 +6 Name ofpower +1 level ofexisting class 9 +4 +3 +3 +6 Eldritch spiritsight +1 level ofexisting class 10 +5 +3 +3 +7 Bond with entity +1 level ofexisting class

Chapter Two: Prestige Classes 53

Minor Pact (Su): At 1st level,a mage priest makes a pact with a minor otherplanar agency.This pact allows him to call on the entity in question as a free action.Each time he invokes the pact in this fashion,the mage priest grants the being a bit of his life force in the form of1d4 hit points or 1 point oftemporary Strength damage (mage priest’s choice).Invocations made in conjunction with a spell confer a verbal component upon the spell.Invoking the pact grants the mage priest one ofthe following powers: • Double the range ofa single ranged spell cast the same round. Otherplanar Entities and Eldritch Spirits • Cast a spell without a somatic component in the same round. The specific beings that a mage priest contacts • Proficiency with a weapon for 1 round per mage priest level. fall within the purview of the DM. (See pages 39 and 92 for information on outsiders in the • +1 deflection bonus to Armor Class for 1 round per mage priest level. Diamond Throne setting.) They need not actually be creatures that come into play. Rather, they are mystical beings that provide

Name ofPower (Ex): At 2nd,5th,and 8th levels,the mage priest learns the truename both power and flavor. ofone outsider or other powerful entity.The DM should determine the details (with the A player running a mage priest should know the player,ifthe mage priest is a PC),although the entity in question should have no more specific names of the entities he has called upon. Player characters should call upon these than twice the mage priest’s Hit Dice.Obviously,trucking in such potent commodities as names in play: “By the host of Goramoth!” or truenames,the mage priest should be wary—even miserly—in how he uses them,or he “In Vistul’s unhallowed name!” may make enemies far too great for him to deal with. Eldritch spirits are like the nature spirits a greenbond communicates with, except they are

Eldritch Spirits (Su): The 3rd-level mage priest gains access to the eldritch spell tem- not at all natural. Instead, they are outsiders plate.Each time he uses it to modify a spell,the mage priest must call upon who inhabit the world only incorporeally. These extremely alien creatures work with mortals like the name ofan eldritch spirit that he knows;the spirit then grants him mage priests as strange magical symbionts. the boost in power. Lesser Pact (Su): At 4th level,a mage priest makes a pact with a lesser otherplanar agency.This pact allows him to call on the entity in question as a free action.Each time he invokes the pact in this fashion,the mage priest grants the being a bit ofhis life force:1d8 hit points or 2 points oftemporary Strength damage (mage priest’s choice).Invocations made in conjunction with a spell confer a verbal component upon the spell.Invoking the pact grants the mage priest one ofthe following powers: • Double the duration ofa single noninstantaneous spell cast the same round. • Double the area ofa single area spell cast the same round. • +5 attack bonus with a single attack roll made the same round. • +3 bonus to a check to overcome a creature’s spell resistance. • +2 bonus to any other caster power or caster level check. Ceremony (Su): At 6th level,the mage priest gains a bonus ceremony feat ofhis choosing.He may select any ceremony feat,ifhe meets the prerequisites. However,unlike the bonus feats other classes gain,the mage priest must participate in the ceremony and pay its cost as normal. Greater Pact (Su). At 7th level,a mage priest makes a pact with a greater otherplanar agency.This pact allows him to call on the entity in question as a free action.Each time he invokes the pact in this fashion,the mage priest grants the being a bit ofhis life force: 2d6 hit points or 3 points oftemporary Strength damage (mage priest’s choice).Invocations made in conjunction with a spell confer a verbal component upon the spell.Invoking the pact grants the mage priest one ofthe following powers: • Cast a spell without using a spell slot (usable only once per day). • Cast a spell available to the mage priest but not readied. • Cast a spell as a free action (usable only once per day). • +4 bonus to any caster power or caster level check.